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About Days Sales Outstanding

The average number of days it takes for a company to collect outstanding receivables. A days sales outstanding (DSO) of 15 means it takes 15 days to collect on sales. Low DSOs are favorable; a company is able to quickly collect on sales. Payments can be used for other purposes.

To think about this conceptually, let's describe a situation with a low DSO. Companies with substantial sales and minor receivables means that the company has sold a lot AND only a small amount of customers owe them payments on those sales. The company is quickly collecting on its sales!

Companies with a low amount of sales and a high amount of customers owing payments on those sales represent a high DSO. This is a situation where the company is unable to quickly collect on its sales.

DSO is a component of the Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC), which is used to determine how long cash is tied up in working capital. A higher DSO will mean a higher CCC for a company.Learn More